Using Digital Elevation Models and Image Processing to Follow Clod Evolution under Rainfall

Soil surface roughness plays an important role in determining how the soil will interact with its environment. Analysis of soil roughness at small scale matters both for preparation of soil in order to allow for plant emergence, and for decisions to favor soil conservation. Indeed, soil roughness may be shaped by tillage operations and then changes with time, under rainfall impact. Soil surface roughness is usually estimated by various indices, computed on measured profiles or images of elevations. Another approach is focusing on soil cloddiness, either by sieving or by image segmentation. The objective of this study is to monitor the evolution of clods under rainfall with Digital Elevation Model (DEM) recording and image processing.